ZEE targets prime time viewers with humour

ZEE is launching two new shows - Kareena Kareena and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. And, both these serials seem to be lighter dramas blended with comedy.

Ashvini Yardi, vice-president, programming, ZEE TV says, "Till date, our programming has been female oriented, these new shows will bring in more male viewers to the channel."

Yardi adds, "These two new shows are a break-through from the typical genre. We hope to bring in a breath of fresh air for our viewers, who - after a stressful day at work - looks forward to a hearty laugh and entertainment."

Going by the promos, the show Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa - being launched from October 25 at 10.30 pm - seems to be inspired by the hit movie Dil Chahta Hain (DCH). While the channel executive agrees that the protagonists of the new show may resemble the three characters of the movie, the channel isn't very sure whether the serial can create a frenzy among the typical DCH-type audience which is cosmopolitan urban male.

On the other hand, Kareena Kareena - which is scheduled to be launched on October 18 at 9.30 pm has a woman as a protagonist. This serial, loaded with humour, shows how the lead character, Kareena juggles with two jobs in her life.

Kareena Kareena will directly compete with Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, which is also aired at 9.30 pm on Sony and caters to the similar target group. A confident Yardi said that the new show has been strategically scheduled and he hoped to give competition to Jassi.

When agencyfaqs! caught up with a few media planners, most of them felt that although ZEE had been strong in terms of programming and some of its shows had been quite popular among women, the perception was that it lacked aggressiveness and did not market its serials well - the way its competitors (read, STAR and Sony) did.

Yardi concurs. "We have realised this fact and now we will be marketing our serials very aggressively," she says.

She points out that the talent hunt show, 'India's Best - Cinestars Ki Khoj' is a big property for ZEE and it is being promoted very aggressively backed by a 360 degree marketing plan.

These two new shows will also be aggressively promoted through print, on-air promos and even on ground activities.

Talking about the investment in these two serials, Yardi says that the production budget for these two new shows has been increased by 25 per cent.

The channel also plans to launch a few more shows by 2004-end and hopes to rise in the TVR charts.

One last word about these two new serials: Although these new initiatives seem to be different from the typical family melodramas at ZEE, their success will also depend on the performance of STAR One (scheduled to be launched on November 1) at the TVR charts, and whether the latest offering from the STAR bouquet catches the fancy of a similar category of viewers.

© 2004 agencyfaqs!